Each Russian city is beautiful in its own way, each has its own flavor, each is a source of pride for its residents. That is why it was so difficult to choose only 10 out of 1100 cities of the Russian Federation. We decided not to include Moscow, St. Petersburg and Kazan in the list, because only the lazy did not write about the wonders of the “three capitals”. Instead, we tried to select around the city, which together could show all the beauty and diversity of Russia.
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10. Pskov
The top 10 most beautiful cities in Russia are opened by the ancient Russian city, Pskov. It has, perhaps, the most ancient monuments per unit area than most others. A particularly strong impression is made by the remains of ancient buildings found almost at every step, which cannot be restored, but carefully preserved for posterity - as if you feel the breath of centuries on your face.
Recommended attractions:
- Thundering tower.
- The Menshikov chambers.
- Trinity Cathedral.
- Pogankin's chambers.
- Pskov Kremlin.
9. Arkhangelsk
Arkhangelsk is notable for its restrained, dim northern beauty - a seaport, which for a long time was the only outlet for Russia to the sea. The endless expanses of the Northern Dvina, somewhere on the horizon merging with the White Sea, are especially good during the White Nights, which here last from May to July.
The architectural distinction of the city is a multitude of wooden buildings, which, despite regular fires, still survived to our time.
Recommended attractions:
- Museum of wooden architecture Malye Korely, located in the open air.
- Living yards.
- Cathedral of Michael the Archangel.
- Kenozersky National Park.
- Chapel of the Matrona of Moscow.
8. Astrakhan
Like Arkhangelsk, Astrakhan is located in the river delta - it is here that the Volga, as we know from school, flows into the Caspian Sea.
The beauty of Astrakhan is in the contrast between old and new. The grandiose buildings of the last decade stand out sharply against the background of semi-rural houses of old Astrakhan and the ancient Kremlin of the 16th century. Stretches a gigantic promenade with fashionable fountains, and a step away from it are the old stone buildings of the Russian county town. And around the city, the Volga is split into many rivers, streams, channels and oxbows, so densely overgrown with plants that it is better to swim there only on a punt with a pole.
Recommended attractions:
- Astrakhan Kremlin.
- Musical fountain.
- Saray Batu.
- Lovers' bridge.
- Assumption Cathedral.
7. Ples
Ples is a small town in the north of the Ivanovo region. Its main pearl is nature of wondrous beauty. Levitan, who first came to Ples, was so fascinated that over several summer seasons in the city he painted about two hundred paintings. From his initiative, Ples became very popular as a place of rest and inspiration for the creative intelligentsia.
Recommended attractions:
- Monument to Levitan.
- Merchant mansion.
- Wedding Museum.
- Museum-reserve.
- The only landscape museum in Russia.
6.Tobolsk
One of the oldest cities in Siberia is now becoming more and more popular with tourists. It was built back in the 16th century by the Cossacks who conquered this place from the Tatar khan.
Today, the symbol of Tobolsk is the Kremlin, from where a beautiful view of the old city and the Irtysh River opens up. The "Lower" city, although somewhat neglected, is worth a close inspection, because it contains old churches, wooden houses with a two-century history, with which the typical Soviet high-rise buildings of the "new" city are in sharp contrast.
Recommended attractions:
- Tobolsk Kremlin.
- Hot spring.
- Alexander Garden.
- Ioanno-Vvedensky Convent.
- Ermak's garden.
5. Gelendzhik
The list of the most beautiful cities in Russia would be incomplete without the southern resort town. Let's leave aside the Crimea, which has yet to fully recover, and the over-hyped Sochi, and turn our eyes to one of the oldest Black Sea resorts - Gelendzhik.
Strictly speaking, Gelendzhik is an agglomeration - a "big" city and a number of adjacent villages and popular tourist settlements. A wonderful climate, wonderful air, lush subtropical greenery, sea and fragrant air filled with the aromas of flowers - all this is enough to fall in love with these places forever.
Recommended attractions:
- Dolmens near the village Vozrozhdenie.
- Dolphinarium.
- Safari Park.
- Central embankment.
- Old park.
4. Vladimir
Small in population, but huge in its cultural significance, the city of Vladimir is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the Golden Ring. Interesting history, beautiful and varied relief of the city and many architectural masterpieces for every taste - from the ancient Golden Gate to the shopping arcade of the 19th century.
The peculiarity of the city is the bizarre combination of the ancient grand-ducal solemnity and the sleepy tranquility of the present Vladimir. True, the pleasure of contemplating the frescoes by Andrei Rublev is somewhat spoiled by the draconian prices in local hotels.
Recommended attractions:
- Assumption Cathedral of the XII century.
- Golden Gate.
- Museum "Babusya-Yagusya".
- Church of the Intercession-on-Nerl.
- Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve.
3. Irkutsk
The beauty of the "Siberian pearl" lies both in the harsh beauty of the surrounding nature (not far from Lake Baikal), and in ancient architecture - the entire city center is included in the UNESCO List of Historical Heritage.
Although the city is only 400 years old, it managed to visit an outpost for the development of Siberia, a center of industry and trade, and even a capital. The importance of Irkutsk led to the flourishing of construction in the city - many masterpieces of stone and even wooden architecture have survived to this day.
Recommended attractions:
- Art Museum named after V.P.Sukachev.
- Church of the Savior.
- The estates of the Decembrists S.G. Volkonsky and S.P. Trubetskoy.
- Aquarium of the Baikal seal.
- Icebreaker "Angara".
2. Nizhny Novgorod
The French writer Théophile Gaultier was so struck by the beauty of Nizhny Novgorod that he doubted whether it was possible to live without seeing it with his own eyes.
One of the reasons for the city's inclusion on our list is its beautiful relief. Nizhny Novgorod is built on the hills at the confluence of the Volga and Oka. A series of folds and hills has a peculiar effect, inherent, perhaps, only to the Lower. A tourist has just been in the center of the city, surrounded by cars and people, but as soon as he literally walks around the corner, there is silence, peace, greenery, the wind is rustling and birds are singing.
And if we add a huge number of iconic architectural structures to the wonders of nature, it becomes clear why everyone who managed to visit there was fascinated by the beauty of Nizhny Novgorod.
Recommended attractions:
- Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin.
- The private zoo "Limpopo" is one of the largest in Europe.
- Annunciation Monastery.
- Toy railway.
- Exotarium.
1. Kaliningrad
The charm of one of the most beautiful cities in Russia is in its Europeanness, lovely old houses, as if they came here from the pages of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, cobbled pavements, neo-Gothic Latin churches, fishing houses on the shore and, of course, the harsh beauty of the northern sea, splashing right next to the city ...
Just a two-hour drive from the city center is the magnificent Curonian Spit, which in summer is a favorite vacation spot for locals and tourists. She is a clear example of the bizarre work of Mother Nature, who placed next to each other sand dunes, meadows covered with moss and lichen, as well as birch, pine and spruce forests. The entire territory of the spit is 98 km long and stretches from the Russian Zelenogradsk to the Lithuanian Klaipeda. Kaliningrad begins 35 km from the beginning of the spit.
By the way, prices in Kaliningrad are not very high, so you can admire its beauty without much damage to your wallet.
Recommended attractions:
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Cathedral.
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Amber Museum.
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Dancing forest.
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Fishing village.
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Museum of the World Ocean.
It is interesting that initially a single city of Kaliningrad did not exist. In its place there were three independent settlements, and the name of the city was given by the fortress of the Teutonic Order of Königsberg, which existed until 1968. Kaliningrad, renamed from Koenigsberg, received its current name on July 4, 1946, when the Kaliningrad region was formed.